But don't worry. Close is a relative term. The asteroid will get no closer than 2.6 million miles away, more than 10 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon.

The near-Earth object, called Asteroid 2002 AJ129, is considered an intermediate-sized object less than a mile across.

Although the asteroid is classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid, it is not expected to pose a impact threat in the near future.

In response to several questions, asteroid 2002 AJ129 will safely pass Earth on Feb. 4. At closest approach, it will be at a distance of 2.6 million miles / 4.2 million km -- over 10 times the distance between Earth and the Moon. More: https://t.co/ZhYzOXRSfPpic.twitter.com/baJhxv2Dzj

"We have been tracking this asteroid for over 14 years and know its orbit very accurately," said Paul Chodas, manager of NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "Our calculations indicate that asteroid 2002 AJ129 has no chance - zero - of colliding with Earth on Feb. 4 or any time over the next 100 years."

The asteroid was discovered in 2002 by the Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking project at the Maui Space Surveillance Site on Haleakala, Hawaii.

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(NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben via AP). This illustration from NASA shows Parker Solar Probe spacecraft approaching the sun. NASA is accepting online submissions until April 27, 2018, for sending your name on the spacecraft all the way to the sun.